Bullet X
by Krin
Summary: Angry about Rayn's betrayal, Ashelin goes to Kras City to take everything from her. Keira and Tess join the dangerous mission.
1. Members Only

**This fic was inspired by a fanvideo, of all things. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Nice throne room," said Daxter, eying the New Haven HQ's drape-strangled windows from his usual perch.

Ashelin ignored his comment. "It's late. You're late." She snapped the holo table display to life via remote. A gray-lined representation of Kras City spiraled into view. "Did you get the mission done?"

Jak shifted. He watched the holo display center on Rayn's headquarters. "No."

Ashelin sat forward in her father's old throne. The cloth was tattered. Beneath the various symbols attributed to Praxis, the seal of Mar gleamed where the framework showed bare. "Why not?"

"Rayn's got my face plastered on the tvs, the walls of every bar-"

"Urinals, too," said Daxter, smirking.

"-newspapers, everything. I could hardly walk down the street at night." Jak took a deep breath. "But we got into her headquarters and I was able to locate the room."

"How much of the mission did you complete?"

"We had to hightail it outta there before I could break the seal on the door. Everything else you asked us to do before that- we did it." Jak brushed his hands together and watched Ashelin's face.

"You sure?"

"Sure we're sure!" shouted Daxter. "You can always count on us! Except for the last part. But that wasn't our fault! The sensor thingy you gave us lit up like crazy when we found the right room! I don't know what Rayn rings her spooky hallways with, but they knew we were there as soon as it went off." Daxter handed the sensor to Ashelin.

She frowned. She jammed the sensor box into the table. A secondary readout, framed by a real-time portrait of Kras' pollution-smeared sky, appeared. A spool of blue text highlighted Ashelin's face, throwing deep shadows around her eyes.

Jak scrounged his mind for some good news. "Also, I found Jinx. He's dealing with Razer's guys, making some money on the side. His connections trust him. Next time Dax and I get the chance, we'll meet up at the-"

"No," said Ashelin.

"Uh. No?" Jak leaned forward onto the holo table. He squinted at the text. It was all scientific lingo. Something to do with eco and stabilization points.

"How did you get into her HQ?"

"I crawled through miles of ducts, bravely faced down a few thugs, and rewired the front entrance so it'd take Jak's code." Daxter inspected his digits. "Delicate work, you know. After that, everything was smoooooth sailing until your little box went spazzy."

"Great." Ashelin made a fist. "We'll have to find a different way in next time."

"If Sig joins me and Torn plays the getaway man, I can bust the door down, grab the prize, and be out in ten minutes," said Jak. "I needed backup last time. Shouldn't be a problem if Sig's with me."

Ashelin stood. "No. You failed the mission, Jak. Your reward is to sit back, relax, and work out trade regulations between Haven and Spargus." She slid an electronic readout across the table. It flickered through Rayn's HQ, distorting the image for a moment, and came to rest at Jak's fingertips.

"But." Jak and Daxter glanced at each other. "Who's going to complete the mission?"

"I am," said Ashelin. She glanced around the room. "That's your throne, by the way. Maybe you should get used to sitting in it."

"Hey!" shouted Daxter, but Ashelin was already out the door. "You knew the mission was impossible when you gave it to us! Why'd you set us up to fail?"

"Because I want to take care of this personally," said Ashelin.

* * *

Keira yawned and sat up. The room was dark and cool. Her bed was still half-empty; Jak wasn't back yet. "Hmm?" She scrounged around between the mattresses for the sound that had woken her, an urgent, irritating beeping. It was her directTalk readout, a direct link to the government, an old-but-good piece of KG technology. Rubbing her eyes, she read the screen. "Emergency contact from Ashelin."

_Keira, Tess, we're going to Kras._

Keira groaned. "Looks like Jak failed the mission." She pushed the warm blankets off her legs and reluctantly stood.

* * *

Tess put down her directTalk readout and sighed. She pulled a tiny set of clothes on, wrestled her tail through her pants, and pushed her fur smooth around her face. She scrambled up her vanity and glanced at the mirror. It used to be the perfect height. She gave her reflection a half smile.


	2. Bullet X

* * *

"Do you know what we're gonna do?" whispered Tess. She and Keira sat in the back of a Freedom League freighter, waiting for Ashelin to board. The cargo door was open. Walkway lights reflected in the rippling canal water of New Haven.

Keira yawned and rubbed her face. "No. I didn't know it was going to be at night, either." She picked at the cheap cloth of her chair. "All Ashelin said was to be ready to go when she dT'd us."

"Daxter said he was going on an important mission tonight. I wonder if we're meeting them in Kras, or something."

Keira shrugged. "She just told me to bring my tools."

"Okay, ladies," said Ashelin. She stomped up the cargo door with a thermos in one hand. After adjusting a few electronic devices on her belt with the other, she hit a button. The door slid up with a _woosh,_ sending a puff of cool, coffee-scented air into the ship. Keira pushed her hair out of her eyes. "We are ready to go."

Ashelin set the thermos on the pilot's terminal. She adjusted the seat and powered up the freighter. The screens on the walls flashed with a marquee of text. "Tess, what do you know about Bullet X?" Ashelin pulled a few levers and they rose from the ground.

"Ooo," said Tess, her eyes lighting up. "It's an old gun maker's dream. Basically a blend of dark eco and blue eco." She scurried across the myriad keyboards set up in the back of the vehicle. Tess pushed buttons and pointed to the displays. "Nobody's been able to make it. Dark eco destabilizes everything, even other ecos. But it was theorized in _Eco and Ammo._" She grinned and brought up a picture of her prized ballistics magazine. "That by spinning them together under pressure, you could trap the two in a clathrate of eco ore."

"Wow," said Keira, running her hands through her hair, making a face when she found a knot. "Sounds like you'd need some heavy-duty machinery for that."

"Definitely," said Tess. She scratched her ears. "Mixing the ecos is the impossible part. But if they were stable, it wouldn't be too hard to get that kind of ammunition out into the streets."

Ashelin downed her coffee and set the thermos to the side. "What kind of mobility are we looking at?"

"Surprisingly, nothing huge. I think, if you had the right stuff, you could fit it in a revamped peacemaker. The old ones, Sig's style, already have a chamber built to compress energy. You'd just have to modify that – carefully – and add a thermal damper so it doesn't slag itself."

"Hmm," said Ashelin. She tapped her fingers on the wheel. "Kras City's the junkyard for Haven's outdated weaponry. Most of the old KG weapons were standard tazer issues or pistols. Krew and the Underground were fond of morph guns."

"Yeah," said Tess. "Jak's gun had the most mods as of last year. Even it wouldn't have the space for Bullet X. But, um, are we talking abou-"

"Really?" asked Keira. "I would've guessed you could fit it in just fine. What if you took out some of the larger components?"

Tess thought, tucking her fist under her furry chin. "Wellllll… the biggest component is the gyro burster drone regenerator, which, if you took it out, would cut the major power source for the other mods." She waved one hand through the air. "Even the mass inverter is too wired in to remove."

"What if you sacrificed the morph ability for Bullet X?" asked Keira.

"But, see, there are other, cheaper guns that would probably be better for that. Like the old peacemakers." Tess scanned the blue text on the screens. "Ashelin… are we still talking about a hypothetical, here?"

It took Ashelin a few moments to answer. "I sent Jak on a mission. The info on those screens? That's what the sensor Vin cooked up detected. I want to know if she has a walking version."

Tess punched buttons, straining for the hard-to-reach ones at the top of the monitor. "Well, I can't say for sure, but… I doubt it."

Keira fiddled with the assortment of wrenches and screwdrivers tied to her belt. "If she does have it, what if she armed something bigger with it? Like a racing vehicle or zoomer?"

Ashelin grimaced and pulled the freighter to the left. "Damn. I hadn't thought of that," she muttered.

"Can the power cell converters be partitioned off?" asked Tess.

"Yeah," said Keira. "You could modify a street zoomer, but it would have less speed. And a racing vehicle, yeah, probably. Those things are built super-efficiently, so you'd have to find a place to stick another converter." She pulled up a schematic of her Kras City racer. "See, the undercarriage is lightweight. Everything's balanced as perfectly as possible." Another racer ghosted in on top of hers. "This is Razer's vehicle. Same idea, different approach. He sacrificed panel armor for a plated-"

"Keira," said Ashelin, failing to hide her annoyance. "You're getting side tracked."

"But, you wanted to know-"

"Yes. I do. I want a full write-up of what you can do with Bullet X in the vehicle department. If it's feasible, I'll give you a grant to work on it. But we need to focus on what's _real_. Can either of you interpret the sensor's data and give me something we can work with now?"

Tess and Keira looked at each other.

"Um, well," said Tess. "Neither of us are eco experts. I don't know where Rayn would find one, either. I haven't even seen blue eco pure enough for Bullet X in a really long time."

"So Rayn's hired out some specialty miners," said Ashelin, her voice getting louder. "She's probably contracted scientists from other land masses. Hell, maybe she's tapped Vin's brain electronically!"

Her anger hung in the air like a cloud of debris.

"Does she have a working version of Bullet X _or not_?"

"Um." Tess highlighted a section of data.

Ashelin stared down a smear between the sea and sky in the distance.

"Keira, do you know how to crunch this?"

"Yeah, hang on." Keira waited for Tess to climb down from the keyboards and typed. "Mineral compositions suggest that there is a small amount of stable Bullet X."

Ashelin swore. "I hate when the bad hunches are right."

"The room also has a tank of low-grade dark eco, like the old stuff swirling around Haven's grid, and a generator. Probably in case the power goes out." Keira tapped the keys. "If Rayn has a pocket of blue eco, it's not in that room."

"Okay. Good." Ashelin glanced at an outline of the room. "This mission has three parts. We're going to break in, get the Bullet X, and make Rayn's life a living hell."

* * *

"What do you think, Keira?" Tess had awkwardly wrapped a haz-mat shirt around her body and was holding up her tail. The freighter had landed in Kras City without incident. Ashelin was powering down the engines and pounding commands into terminals. "Should I cut off a sleeve and cover my tail, or just leave it out?"

Keira glanced at her friend, bundled in layers of anti-eco, plasticized cloth. The tough shirt material refused to fold and sharp points stuck out of Tess' body at odd angles. "Um. Let me adjust that for you. And, yeah, you should cover your tail."

Tess held her arms up as Keira clipped and wound the shirt. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," said Keira. She finished the job and pulled the material around Tess' ears. She thought of Tess scrambling around the terminals, straining for keys just out of reach. "Um. I have a question. I've been wondering for a while. What do you think of… the transformation?"

Tess sniffed and looked at the ground. "I love Daxter. I really do! But… but I wish I'd had more time to think about this. It's been really hard to adjust. It's easy for him; he's been like this for years. But me, I can't do the things I used to do. I can hardly even work on guns anymore. The tools are too heavy. Everything's the wrong size." She sighed.

Keira smiled sympathetically and opened her mouth, but Ashelin's shadow loomed over them both.

"Here you are, ladies. These are dT wristbands. I've altered the signal frequency so they will only communicate with each other. I doubt they'll be detectable by Rayn's hall sensors. If they are, we'll find out pretty quick. Hopefully, it won't be a problem."

Keira snapped hers on. Tess held hers above her head and almost burst into tears.

"Here, uh, how about this." Keira fumbled with the wristband, tightened it as far as it would go, and snapped it around Tess' waist.

"Alright. You ready? Good." Ashelin glanced out a circular window. "I know neither of you have much military experience, if any. Remember, Jak wasn't able to complete the mission, and he's good. He's very good. So _we're_ going to be very careful. Normally I don't give a whole spiel before a mission, but, here we are." She glanced out the window again and holstered her old KG gun.

"We are currently on launch pad five at Kras' north landing strip. This is a small strip, not the one we used when we raced here. It's closer to Rayn's HQ, so it's less closely observed, but it's on the bad side of town. Keira, wear this haz-mat cloak. Bunch it around your belt so no one sees your tools. Keep your head down. Tess, you're riding with me, Daxter-style. It's not raining, yet, but it will be soon."

Keira and Tess regarded her with varying degrees of wariness and fatigue. Ashelin handed Keira a gun and a laminated card. "If anyone stops us, follow my lead. That means, if I shoot, you shoot. If I act civil, you keep your mouth shut. That card is a counterfeit courier barcode. It's respected by most of the gangs in Kras, but not all." Ashelin tucked her dreads inside a cap and pulled haz-mat clothes on over her KG armor. "Any questions?"

"Yeah," said Keira. "If Jak couldn't do it, why do you think we can?"

"Because _sometimes_ a mission requires skill, and not just a testosterone-riddled explosion." Ashelin loaded her secondary weapon. "Also, that bitch double-crossed us. And I want to hit her, hard." She sneered. "Rayn made it personal, coming into our lives with her sob story and her poison. She used us. Tonight, we are sending her a message." Ashelin handed Keira a map. "Once we get inside, you'll be separating from Tess and me. This is her HQ, as far as we've been able to map out."

Keira took it, her hands shaking. "Why am I going alone?"

"Because you're the best mechanic in the world," said Ashelin. "Tess and I are stealing the Bullet X, but you're going to ruin Rayn's livelihood. If I wanted her garage simply blown up, I'd've sent Jinx to do the job. But you know what's necessary, what the most expensive machines are. Disable them. If you can sabotage something so that it looks fine but malfunctions later, do it. If you see something you want, take it. And if it's too big to take, destroy it."

Keira glanced at the ghosted images of her and Razer's vehicles. "Is Rayn allied with Mizo's old gang?"

"Yes. She's absorbed most of their assets. I picked tonight for this mission because my contact informed me that she would be meeting up with Razer to finalize things. The HQ will not be as heavily guarded as usual."

"But didn't Jak just break in there?" asked Keira.

Ashelin gave her a wry smile. "Jak's mission was just a prelude. Now, the garage is probably non-mobile and below city level. I highlighted the most likely path to it." She traced the map with her finger. "We'll stick together until here, then you take this turn. This is the room Tess and I are going to. When you finish your part, return to the freighter. _Don't_ wait for us in the HQ."

Keira nodded.

"Alright. Tess, hop up. We're going."

The cargo door slid open; Ashelin killed the freighter's lights and motioned for Keira to follow her along the dock. Old fishnets, some tangled with fish skeletons, rotted on the sides of the walkway. Creaking wooden boats bobbed on the oily water. Ashelin scanned the area with a critical eye. The landing pads were deserted, punctuated by the occasional whitish street lamp. Pink and yellow bar signs lined the street proper. They, and the replacement of fish stink with vehicle exhaust, were the only delineations between the city and the docks. Ashelin nodded her head and they took an alley between saloons.

"Can we talk?" whispered Tess.

Ashelin looked left and right continuously in a smooth motion. "Keep it quiet and uninteresting."

"What are you going to do with the Bul- uh, stuff?"

"Take it. Analyze it. If we can-" Ashelin motioned for Keira to follow, "-we're going to make some of our own."

"What makes it different from regular DE?" whispered Keira. "Seems like it'd be bad enough on its own."

"No one knows for sure," said Tess. "_Eco and Ammo_ guessed it'd have a narrower, but more destructive blasting range. The blue eco would speed up the DE's combustion. Instead of having a chance to spread out, the DE would have a more concentrated effect. Someone at a range where you'd usually just get dark eco burns would die, instead."

"Ugh," said Keira.

"It might work like an EMP," continued Tess. "A big enough-"

"Ladies," hissed Ashelin, grabbing Keira's elbow. "Let's not get too interesting." She dragged Keira past a few men standing outside a bar. "You're too damn slow, courier," she said loudly.

They continued for a few minutes. Kras City towered around them; sleek, neon-lined buildings stretched up to the sooty sky. Finally, Ashelin stopped and put her back to a wall. "We're being followed," she said, keeping her voice very low. "Keira, you go around that way. It'll take you to a door to the warehouse attached to HQ. I'm going this way. They'll follow me, I'll make sure of it. Use the card. Should work for people and doors." She turned abruptly and ran. Sure enough, footsteps clanged down the alleyway after her.

"Ohmygosh," breathed Tess. She wrapped her arms around Ashelin's head and held on tight.

Ashelin planted one foot on the asphalt, bent her knee, and swung her other leg around. As her body circled, she fired, sending bullets through the brains of her followers. They staggered back together, two flailing lumps of dark cloth. Ashelin was gone before they hit the ground.

"Um." Keira winced at the shots. She pressed herself against a building, willing the black haz-mat cloak to render her invisible. She crept towards the door, her bare hands cold on the steel wall.

* * *


	3. Jewel of the Aisle

* * *

Keira held the map up to the huge metal door. It was one of two leading into the warehouse. Rayn's headquarters stretched up behind it. It was of average height, illuminated but not too flashy, and it advertised an adjacent building's collection of stores, known to sell mediocre products.

"Hmm. North is that way." Keira flipped the map upside-down. "Warehouse, warehouse." She glanced around, identified the loading bay, and oriented herself. "Looks like a straight line to the garage."

Holding the courier card between her first finger and thumb, she swiped it through a groove. Three tiny green lights came on and the door shuddered open. Keira ducked under, tucked the card into her pocket, and pulled her hood back.

The warehouse was huge and lit with bare, dust-choked ceiling bulbs. There was the familiar smell of burned rubber and grease. Vehicle parts lined the cracked cement floor perimeter by size; stackable, cheap frames towered to her right, followed by piles of old tires, boxes of assorted parts, and so on, down to a few bunches of antennae wound together with twine. The middle of the floor seemed to disappear at odd angles. Keira walked toward it, glancing at the doors every so often.

"Oh. An on-ramp." Keira squatted and peered down as far as she could. A below-city roadway had been constructed with an offshoot up into the warehouse. A couple of one-way lanes were outlined in faint yellow paint. Skid marks tracked across the floor and down-ramp again. "Hmm. I wonder if the exit lane leads to the garage."

She stood and regarded all the parts. "I _also_ wonder if there's anything good here." With a smile, she rifled through the boxes and piles. "Ooh! Look at these!" She squeaked like a kangarat in an unguarded barley cellar and stripped an engine of its Precursor metal O-rings. "These are expensive!" Keira covered her fingers in oily rings and admired them in the light. "Gorgeous!"

Keira chuckled when she found a stash of assorted eco-conducting wires. "Yoink!" She unwound the spools, rewound the wire around her thighs, and smoothed her pant legs down. "Can't even tell."

"Oh, wow, look at this." She stepped over a pile of delicately inlaid golden swoop panels. "Eco-infused lenses!" Keira held a piece of glass up to the light. It glowed green. "Must be infused with blue eco. Mixes with the yellow light to make green. Neat." She filled her pockets with discs of assorted colors and hopped over to the next box.

"Aww, look at these cute little coils." Keira linked them together and looped them around her long ears. "I'm going to run out of room pretty soon! Oh, well, I guess I should find the garage, anyway." She walked carefully, trying not to clink her new findings together.

She paused at the top of the ramp, but didn't hear anything coming. She looked at the map. "I think this is the right way…." Keira shrugged and followed the down-ramp for a short distance, keeping close to the metal wall. Every so often she stepped over dark red stains smeared into the riveted floor. Visions of vehicles racing down the roadway and flattening her quickened her pace. The next up-ramp was steep and almost hidden by the curve of the road. Keira would have missed it if she hadn't noticed the spray painted, faded yellow "G". She leaned forward to keep her balance on the slippery incline.

"Ugh!" She grabbed a railing and pulled herself up. The glass in her pockets jostled. An image of Ashelin shaking her head appeared in her mind's eye, and Keira ducked. She pulled the haz-mat cloak around her and crawled up into the garage.

It was smaller but better-lit than the warehouse. Keira straightened and pushed the hood back. "Wow. State-of-the-art." A few vehicles were on lifts, engine parts trailing down to the ground. The furnaces chugged away on the periphery. Drawers lined the walls. Eco containers of various strengths were piled neatly in the corner. A power cell converter had been taken from one of the vehicles and was hooked up to testing equipment. Keira smelled the dark eco powering the blasting furnace. She headed for it.

"These things," she said, inspecting the door carefully, "are always on. It takes forever to get them up to the right temperature, and it actually saves energy to keep them going all the time. So, where are you, off button?" Keira located a panel of buttons and levers. She input a sequence and patted the furnace door as it powered down.

Keira shut off all the furnaces and rerouted the cooling vents. "That does it for you guys," she said. "I wonder what's in all those drawers?" She tore through towers of metal chests. "Ah! Tools!" Keira tucked packs of small, jeweler's tools, for intricate work, into her boots. "Perfect for Tess!" She selected one of each tool for herself and tossed the rest into the back of the hottest furnace. Keira wrapped them in bunches and shoved them under her suspender straps where they crossed at her back. She shifted a bit, adjusting the weight.

"Phew." Keira wiped sweat off her forehead, leaving a greasy streak. She turned and eyed the lifted vehicles.

Keira drained all the fluids from the cars, sloppily mixed them together, and piped the bubbling solution back into the engines. "I've always wanted to do that!" She cut every wire she could reach, stabbed the tires with a power drill, and peeled back the brakes.

"Actually, why think so small?" Keira jammed the pneumatic lift valve with a tire iron. "Good luck getting your vehicles down, guys!"

Satisfied, she took another walk around the garage. "Oh, nice." Keira picked up a set of gloves. They were thick, designed to protect the skin from the hot furnaces, and the inside was lined with green eco wire. "These would be aweso-"

Tires squealed. Lights flashed across the ceiling. Keira startled and jammed the gloves into her shirt without thinking. A vehicle raced up the ramp and skidded to a stop. Keira ducked down, wincing as wires dug into her skin.

The vehicle door decompressed and opened.

Keira held her breath. She fanned her fingers on the floor, balancing on the balls of her feet.

"Rrrzzzerwhirrr?"

She squinted.

The headlights died, and she made out a figure rising from the red car. It was huge and oddly proportioned.

It whirred and turned mechanically.

"Whhh…zzr?"

UR-86 took in the haphazardly opened drawers, the cooling furnaces, and the oil slicks on the floor. Keira bit her lower lip. The robot turned in a circle again, scanning the room slowly.

It centered on her.

Keira's hands shook. She grabbed for her weapon. Not the gun; she had forgotten the gun.

"Target acquired." UR-86 thundered towards her, its heavy feet pounding the garage floor.

Keira pulled out her longest screwdriver and screamed.

* * *


	4. Crime 101

* * *

"Tess, center yourself."

Tess squeaked. The haz-mat material of her sleeves slid against Ashelin's cap. She planted one foot on each side of Ashelin's neck and held on tight.

"Thanks," said Ashelin. She turned a corner and ran on. "I don't know how Jak can stand all that weight on one side." The alleyway narrowed and ended at a cement building. It was dull next to its metallic neighbors, which reflected the tangle of omnipresent logo light. Ashelin slowed to a jog and jumped up onto a window ledge. She teetered; Tess gasped. Ashelin braced herself. She peeled the slippery haz-mat gloves off and handed them up to Tess, who tucked them under her headband.

Ashelin studied the wall rising above them. She pulled out her gun and shot a few lights. Tess curled her tail close; the glass tinkled as it fell past. Ashelin took a deep breath in through her nose and stretched her arms. As she exhaled, she grabbed a nearby ledge. She swung. Tess gulped as Ashelin pulled her legs up and pressed herself against the wall.

Ashelin scaled the building, breathing deep and loud, sticking to the shadowed vertical path she'd made when she shot the lights. When a window ledge crumbled, she retraced her climb. She looked up, concentrating, shifting carefully so Tess had a scrap of fabric to hold onto.

When they reached the top, Tess scrambled onto the graveled roof first. "Wow!" she said. "That takes a lot of strength. I don't think I could do that."

Ashelin grunted and heaved herself up. She stood slowly and rotated her shoulders. "It takes focus." She flexed her fingers. "And training and practice."

Tess nodded.

They spared a moment to take in the city. They stood on a rather tall, elderly cement behemoth of a building. In the distance, the fog, smog, and night sky rolled into a blackish cloud. Bar neon and vehicle lights splayed from it in all directions, occluded by apartment buildings and factory smoke stacks.

"It's… _almost_ pretty."

"Humph." Ashelin glanced northeast, where Haven would be. "Let's go."

She crunched across the gravel to the emergency exit. "Stand back." Ashelin shot the access pad and kicked the rusty door open. She stepped forward carefully, feeling for a stairway or ladder. "It's an empty shaft. Maybe elevator."

"How are we going to get down?"

Ashelin dropped a piece of gravel down the shaft. It hit bottom and echoed. "It's not too far. Stay there." She squatted and stuck a foot out. When her boot touched the wall, she kicked her other leg out underneath her and screeched a little ways down the shaft. She straightened her legs and stood. Ashelin anchored her arms against opposite walls. "Jump. Keep your weight centered by my waist."

Tess crossed her fingers and jumped into the darkness.

Ashelin bent her knees, alternating her foot and handholds as they descended. She went as quickly as she could; the walls were patches of rough metal, pipes and thick, greased cable lines.

Tess looked up, where gray light filtered in through the emergency exit. Ashelin's forehead was dotted with sweat, her circular tattoos just visible. There were no other lights, not even tiny red blinkers for repairmen.

"What's the plan?" whispered Tess.

Ashelin didn't answer. She breathed, her limbs shuddering from the strain. A few minutes later, she inhaled sharply.

"What's wrong?" asked Tess, straining her eyes.

"Jump down."

"But there's-"

"Do it!"

Tess swallowed and loosened her grip. She fell backwards into blackness. Before she could scream, she hit the ground. Her dT waistband tinged on impact. "Ow! Oh. I think… we're ok?"

"Move," said Ashelin. Tess scrambled blindly for the wall and pushed herself against it. Ashelin landed with a thud and the floor shook. Cables creaked.

Ashelin groaned and stood. "This is the top of the elevator."

Something new wafted through the smell of metal and oil. Tess sniffed the air. "What's that?"

"Cut my hand."

"Oh no! Are you okay?"

"Fine." Ashelin kneeled and felt around the plated floor. "There has to be an access panel. Help me find it."

Tess patted the floor, feeling along the lines and grooves. Her haz-mat clothing slid around, almost rasping. Tess shuddered as her fingers trailed over warm, wet spots on the metal. She wiped her hands on her shirt. "Um." The darkness crowded her, pushing her fur down, making her feel even smaller. "Um."

"Spit it out."

"How did you know Rayn had Bullet X?"

Ashelin lowered her voice. "Jinx's been acting as a spy for me here in Kras. He mentioned a couple things he found that reminded me of Praxis' work. You confirmed my suspicions in the freighter when you said it was made of blue and dark eco."

Tess frowned. "Praxis?"

"Bullet X is a reconstruction of one of his weapon projects. Krew stole information from the Palace and passed it on to Rayn in his diaries."

"Oh."

"I'm doubly pissed, now. I knew she had some of our records, but I didn't realize how many. Or how important. She could have everything- Haven financials, government secrets, the dark warrior project info, other weapon projects."

Tess blinked. "How many weapon projects were there?"

"A lot." Ashelin swore. "If I ever see her again, I'll snap her neck myself."

"Is this it?" Tess pulled. A crack of light shone through.

"Yeah." Ashelin wormed her fingers under. "Pull."

The panel came up easily. Ashelin squinted against the light and dropped into the elevator. Tess followed. "Oh. Your hand!"

"Stupid elevator shaft," Ashelin said. A ragged cut bled from her palm. With her other hand, she retrieved a small package, like the condiment packets at the Naughty Ottsel. She ripped it open with her teeth and squeezed green eco salve onto the wound.

Tess pulled her headband off and tied the gloves tight around Ashelin's hand. She patted the makeshift bandage. "I hope it feels better soon."

"It should heal fast," muttered Ashelin. She stood and pushed some buttons. "We need to hurry. This building is the public façade of Rayn's business. It's connected to her HQ by a covered pedestrian walkway on the third floor." The elevator doors slid open.

"Hello," said Shiv, leveling his gun at Ashelin's neck.

* * *

**These girls can't get a break!**


	5. Tough Love

UR-86 charged. Keira screamed and rolled to the side, just avoiding being trampled. She jumped to her feet, or tried to, but the weight of her stolen goodies slowed her down. She staggered backwards and crashed into the power cell converter testing equipment. UR-86 skidded, its metal feet sparking across the floor. Its head turned independently of its body to watch Keira. "Whhzzzerrr rrrrr."

Keira squeezed the screwdriver. The bulk of the testing equipment lay on her stomach and legs. Her mind clashed with fear and disjointed images- the ceiling, her bed, the robot's yellow eyes, an old memory of playing lasso tag on the beach in Sandover…

UR-86 kicked off the wall and turned its body. "Eliminate target."

Keira gripped the machinery on her stomach and pulled herself up. "Eek!" UR-86 thudded towards her, reaching out one arm, powering its own overdrive. Her hand fell on the testing dissipater, a ring of metal-embedded plastic connected to the equipment bulk with a wire.

"Target acquired!"

Keira waited, her heart pounding. She pulled her goggles on. The robot sounded its strange whirring laughter. Keira glanced down at the testing equipment, burning the on switch's location into her mind.

UR-86 registered her throw a second too late. Keira tossed the ring. It spun down the robot's outstretched arm and clanged against its shoulder. Keira flicked the on switch and covered her head.

An entire power cell's worth of electricity shot down the wire and into UR-86's carapace. "Ghhhzzzzzzizizizzz!" Its eyes flickered. The corrugated plastic between its metal plates blackened and steamed. UR-86 slowed, its joints shrieking as its lubrication evaporated.

Keira pushed the testing equipment down her legs and kicked it at UR-86. It managed to avoid the obstacle and pull the ring off. While it was distracted, Keira jumped and skewered the robot in the eye with the screwdriver.

UR-86's head jutted up and down. Its limbs shuddered. It took an uncertain step back. Sparks flew from its broken eye. The robot's cooling system choked. "Whrrr. Whhhrrrrrrrr."

Keira put her hands on her hips and breathed hard. The smell of burning plastic made her cough.

UR-86 crashed to its knees. Fluid leaked from its head. It couldn't focus on the handle of the screwdriver. It tried to grab it. "Rrrzzwhhrr! Whhrrrr!"

"Hold still." Keira approached the robot from the side, where it couldn't see her. She gripped the screwdriver with both hands and twisted.

Sparks radiated through its brain. UR-86 screamed, an unearthly, metal-shorn shock that pulsed down Keira's arms. She jumped back with a yelp. UR-86 fell to the floor in a heap.

"Gzzt. Gzzzt."

Keira planted one foot on its good eye and yanked the screwdriver out. "Ugh." It was scorched and tiny bursts of energy fizzled along its length. She pulled her goggles up.

UR-86's fingers uncurled. "Rrrrrr…." Hydropumps powered down, issuing steam from the torso and hips. Its internal light faded.

The garage was silent, save the steady dripping of coolant from UR-86's busted face to the floor.

Keira shivered.

* * *

**Fun Fact! This is the third fic I've written where Keira stabs UR-86 in the eye with a screwdriver! (I don't know why, I just love the visual. And it's fun to have a running scene through fics) She does this in "The Mechanics of Metal Men" and in another fic that I haven't finished/uploaded yet.**


	6. Stray Bullet

"Well, if it isn't the governor of Haven," said Shiv, staring down the barrel. He touched the gun to Ashelin's neck. She grimaced and pulled back. "Ah, ah. Miss Rayn would not be pleased."

"So, you're working for her now?" asked Ashelin.

"Hands up." Shiv charged the gun. Blue light sizzled around the rotating barrel. He smiled. "You know, it doesn't really matter who's in charge in Kras. As long as the muscle keeps its mouth shut and delivers, it gets traded around. Food, a place to stay. It's a good life."

Ashelin sneered.

"Rayn's not so bad. I'd be more worried working for your little friend, actually." Shiv chuckled. "He just let old Mizo die on the track. Boom! That takes a _real_ hero."

Ashelin's eyes narrowed.

"If you were going to walk out of here tonight, I'd tell you to watch your back. He'll burn you eventually. His type always does." Shiv leaned forward. His breath smelled like yakkow jerky. "But you won't have to worry about that."

"Leave her alone!"

"What the-" Shiv's eyes widened at the tiny voice. "Ooof!"

Ashelin smiled as he dropped the gun and bent double, covering his crotch. She caught the weapon. "Nice job," she said, stepping over him. Tess shook out her fist.

"Wha- what the hell was that?" he breathed.

Ashelin clicked the weapon up a notch and pressed it into the back of Shiv's head. He moaned. "Shut up." She nodded at Tess. "C'mere. Don't let him see you."

Tess scooted around him and waved her hands. Ashelin lowered the gun. Tess studied it for a moment and opened a hidden panel in the side. The charge dissipated in the air, crackling her fur. Ashelin's fingers tingled.

"Give- gimmie that-"

"Did I say you could talk?" Ashelin kicked Shiv in the back. He yelped and clutched his side.

Tess switched a few wires around and disabled the recoil dampener. She nodded.

"Get in the elevator," said Ashelin, prodding Shiv with the gun.

Shiv moaned and struggled to his knees. "You're not getting far, you crazy b-"

"The elevator!" Ashelin grabbed him by the back of the head. Blood streaked from her slick glove bandage into his hair. "Get in there!"

"Augh!"

"Shut up!"

Tess stepped away, her hands over her mouth.

Ashelin leaned in and pushed a button. "You think it's good, doing what you do? Ruining peoples' lives?" She kicked him again. Tess heard something crack. Ashelin tossed the gun at his feet and slipped out as the doors closed. She turned.

Tess stood, shoulders hunched, lips trembling. She shook her head and covered her ears.

The floor rumbled and blue light arched out of the elevator. Shiv screamed. The doors bulged. Black smoke streamed from the cracks and gathered at the ceiling.

Ashelin turned her dT wristband on and started down the carpeted hallway. "Keira? Keira. Where the hell are you?"

Tess pumped her legs to keep up. She glanced back, but there was nothing but smoke.

* * *

**I know it's short but I prefer to break up the fic this way. Here we see Ashelin being excessively violent. We never see her fighting by herself in the games and I think she'd be kinda like this, especially when angry.  
**


	7. Speed Demon

"Ashelin?" Keira lifted her wrist to her mouth. "I'm, uh, in the garage. I think I just killed UR-86."

There was static. Then, "really?"

"Yeah."

"I'm impressed."

Keira beamed. "Thanks!"

"Welcome. Are you done in the garage? I want you out of there ASAP. Rayn might know we're here. We just took care of one of her henchmen."

"Yeah, I guess I'm done." Keira glanced at UR-86's vehicle. "I got a fast ride out, don't worry about me. Good luck with the Bullet X."

"Ashelin out."

Keira walked around the red car. She peeked inside the open door. UR-86, evidently, did not ascribe to the aesthetics and comforts of living riders. The seat was hard and bare, a mere extension of the frame. The dashboard was void of most of the standard meters. Keira figured the robot plugged itself into the car to take speed readings and weapon checks. There was not a scrap of cloth to be seen; every surface was unrefined and unfinished, hammered into the car straight from the factory.

"Hrm," said Keira, twisting her mouth. "This is probably going to be a bumpy ride." She swung herself into the car and started it. The dashboard lit up with red numbers, seemingly random. Keira grabbed the steering wheel and felt shallow indentations along the inside rim. "Hmm." They were smooth contact points with tiny interfaces embedded in the center.

She shifted into first, slowly let off the clutch, and put pressure on the accelerator. Nothing happened. Keira frowned and tried again. The vehicle revved forward, then shut off. "Dang it!" She tried several more times.

"Maybe he has to plug in, or something," she said, pushing all the little contact points on the steering wheel. The vehicle shuddered. An empty shield generator rose from the back, whining. Burned red eco exhaust wafted through the garage. An assortment of gun turrets whirred up and down the front. "Ohh, okay. These are the command ports for offensive and defensive moves." Keira tested each one, memorizing which gun port was where. The turrets rose and locked away at her command, but would not fire. "Huh. Gotta be wired in, I guess."

"Now," she said, turning the key once more. "If only I could get this thing to go!" Keira glanced at UR-86. It occurred to her that he weighed about four times as much as she did. "Maybe if I-" she stomped the accelerator as hard as she could, "-waugh!" The vehicle shot forward. She turned the wheel just in time and skidded down the ramp, scraping the wall. Keira ducked as sparks flew. She jammed the car into second gear and raced down the under city road.

The vehicle's shocks were either busted or not present. Keira bounced on the hard seat. "Ow ow ow - I wish I - ow - knew where this - ow - road was going!" The glass in her pockets clapped together. Keira tried to concentrate on the tunneled road. It was windy and constricted, lit up by the occasional flickering light. "Need to find – ow – ramp to surface!"

The car veered at every turn, scraping against the walls and leaving long paint streaks behind it. Keira gripped the wheel and squinted into the oncoming wind. The cloak partially billowed around her, constrained by the hemline, which she had stuffed under her butt for a little cushioning. When she saw the faded letters for the garage and warehouse, she realized she was driving in a circle. She looped around again, noting how the roadway turned. At an impossible-seeming curve, she jutted to the right and found herself forcibly merged into above ground traffic.

"Yahhhh!" she screamed. Zoomers swerved to avoid her. Other drivers cursed and made rude gestures. "Sorry!" shouted Keira. She tried to downshift, but the car only responded to the most amount of force she could put on the pedals. "Shoot! Damn!" Keira yanked the wheel and turned right a few times.

The traffic was entirely non-racer vehicles; family zoomers trundled along in the slow lanes. Single-person zoomers zipped along beside them. Keira switched lanes and found that most of the zoomers stayed a distance away from her. "They must recognize the car," she muttered.

Taking full advantage of her vehicle, she screamed through red lights and cut people off. Buildings and overpasses wooshed by, a confusing urban jungle. On the one occasion when a nearby rider pointed a gun at her, Keira pushed one of the little indentations and brought up a missile launcher. The rider paled and pulled away.

"Oh, good!" Keira recognized Rayn's HQ building and swung around another block. As she passed under a glass-walled walkway, something fell from the sky onto the zoomer ahead of her. "Ahh!" She screamed and pulled the wheel, just barely skidding around the other vehicle. Keira ducked as flashes of light and booms sounded from the wreckage. People screamed; cars honked. The thick, moving traffic squealed into a quagmire of crashing zoomers. Keira glanced into the rear-view mirror. A pile-up had begun, flames licking its edges.

The sky boomed with thunder and rain poured down. The roads quickly flooded; filthy water churned around the gutters, clogged with garbage. UR-86's tires of choice usually held the asphalt fairly well, but Keira hydroplaned more often than not.

"JEEZE!" Keira slapped her wet hair back and cursed the open-topped vehicle. She turned again and headed north. "I can't wait to get the hell outta here!"


	8. Down 'n Dirty

* * *

Ashelin led the way down a staircase at the end of the hall. Her boot steps echoed in the landings; Tess padded silently behind her, admiring the old mosaics on the walls. They were scratched, and near the lights flickering on every floor, the tiny, precious stones had been dug out.

"Keep your nose up," Ashelin said. "I had Daxter wire some threads through the HQ. He should've started at the front door and unwound them as they approached the room. Mar knows how he hid them, but if one of Rayn's men had found them by now, they would've been disabled." Ashelin poked at one of the electronic devices at her belt. It flashed some numbers and she nodded. "The threads give off a faint scent. I can't smell it, but Daxter could. I think you probably can, too."

"Okay," said Tess. She sniffed the air. "I think a bunch of sweaty guys went through here."

Ashelin paused at the door leading to the third floor. She put her ear against it and listened. "Three guys," she whispered. "We're going to go with the element of surprise. Hyah!" She kicked the door open and decked the first guy standing outside it, just as he was turning, eyes wide. Ashelin dove into a head stand, twisted in the air and smashed another guy in the face with her boot.

Tess scurried over the groaning henchmen and clawed her way up the third guy's back. "What the hell?" He turned in circles, trying to see what was happening behind him. Tess giggled and bit his ear. "Augh!" He threw down his gun and grabbed for her. Tess wiggled out of his reach, jumped to the ground, and tripped him. He fell onto his comrades.

Tess pulled the gun away from him. As she turned, he pushed himself up. "You little rat!" he screamed, grabbing her shoulder.

"Ow!" Tess scratched at his hand, but he dug his thumb in deeper.

"I don't think so." Ashelin jumped and landed on the guy's back, knees first. The air in his lungs wooshed out and his eyes rolled. Tess staggered as his fingers went limp. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. Ashelin raised her arm up and smashed her pistol into the back of his head. He slumped.

Tess rubbed her shoulder.

"You okay?" asked Ashelin. She kicked at the pile of unconscious bodies.

"Yeah."

"Everyone's out cold." Ashelin scooped up the guys' weapons and nodded to another door across the hall. "Open that."

Tess ran over and pulled the lever. Car exhaust and bulletin board light streamed in from the city outside. Ashelin strode through and to the edge of the covered pedestrian walkway. Bulletproof glass lined it to about waist-height, then curled into a metal guardrail. Braided cords ran from the guardrail to the tarp above, pulling it taut over a series of thin metal arches. The effect was of a half-tunnel boring into the building across the street. Ashelin threw the guns over the guardrail. They smashed onto the traffic below, pouring out parts, springs, and flashes of energy.

Cars swerved and honked. Ashelin took a deep breath and wiped her hands on her thighs. She got down and crawled across the shadowed side of the walkway. Tess strode beside her, trailing her fingertips along the cool glass, leaving little smudges.

As they neared the end of the walkway, thunder rolled overhead. The henchmen guarding the entrance to Rayn's headquarters all looked up, and Ashelin took that opportunity to blast them with a pulse from her secondary weapon.

Tess tiptoed around their bodies, twisting her head away from the smell of burned flesh and cloth. "Ew," she said.

Ashelin glanced down. "Better them than us," she said. "Typical gun specialist. Builds the weapons but can't deal with their aftermath."

"No!" Tess straightened. "I'm just… not used to seeing it so close."

"Hrm." Ashelin opened the door. "Get used to it."

* * *

**Short chapter! Two more to go. :) Thanks for reading!**


	9. West in Pieces

* * *

By the time she got to the docks, the torrential downpour had dissolved to a drizzle. Keira forced the vehicle into neutral and slowly creaked over the puddles to the landing pads. She parked next to the FL freighter. "Oh man." Keira pulled herself out of the car and rubbed her behind. "Ow, ow." Steam rose from the hood, where the drizzle sizzled on the hot engine. Keira wrung her hair and twisted the cloak, shaking droplets from her hands. The fish stink was magnified and oils ran from the city streets into the dock water.

Keira entered a sequence of numbers on the cargo door's punch pad and it slid open. She tossed her cloak to the floor and shivered. Since she didn't have the ignition code, she couldn't start the freighter and turn the heat on. Keira sat for a few minutes, thinking and rubbing her arms.

"I should probably do something, move around," she said to the dark terminals and screens. "That will warm me up." She pulled a few tools from her belt. "You know, those command ports in the steering wheel are a nifty feature." She hefted a hammer in her hand, then stomped back outside.

Keira nodded to the east, where Haven lay. "_This_ is for everybody at home!" She unfastened the steering wheel and squinted. She followed wires into the dashboard and then took it apart. Keira dismembered the vehicle, taking her time, her chilliness replaced by the warming joy of discovering a new mechanism. "Oh, neat! I wonder who did this." She held a bundle of eco-wiring up to the dark sky. "That's a new way to twist 'em!" She tossed it into the freighter. "I'll study you more when I get home."

When she was finally done stripping the vehicle of everything valuable, she put it into neutral and pushed it into the water. It bobbed for a few seconds, huge bubbles churning around the frame. Then it sank, its headlights long since extinguished. Keira waved cheerfully.

"And _that's_ for trying to kill me."

* * *

"We're in Rayn's HQ, now. We have less than ten minutes to find the room we're looking for." Ashelin fiddled with the little boxes at her belt. "Do you smell anything? Anything at all?"

Tess put her hands against the wall and stood on her toes. She took in the layered smells of her surroundings- the resin-burgundy stink of the walls, the musty carpet with innumerable dirt-scented, oily footsteps. The overhead lights even hummed with a strange almond pitch. "No. Nothing… nothing odd."

Ashelin made an unamused noise. "Daxter, you promised me you got everything done…."

"Wait." Tess tilted her head. "There's something above… there's a smell, like, over the walls." She climbed up Ashelin's arm and stood on her shoulder. "Yes! It's like, really thin dark eco. Mixed with…" she sniffed, "um, electricity?"

"Bingo." Ashelin squinted at the ceiling. A few, hair-thin silver spots shone between the ceiling lights. The threads were invisible unless one saw them at the right angle. "Daxter must've strung them up, literally." Ashelin pulled her pistol out and reloaded it. "Pretty good idea."

"That's my Daxxie poo!"

Ashelin rolled her eyes. "Keep your nose sharp. We're following these 'til we get to the room."

"Okay." Tess pointed. "This way."

While Tess directed, Ashelin scanned the hallways. She continuously checked her little electronic boxes. "Tell me you have all the money hidden away," she said softly.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing." Ashelin stopped at another stairwell. "We go through here?"

"Yeah." Tess frowned. "The… thread thingies. They go up and down and kind of everywhere."

"Good."

"Uh." Tess blinked. She had been expecting an explanation. "Well, I guess we go up."

Ashelin nodded. She opened the door without a sound. The stairwell was well-lit and clean. Ashelin placed a remote bomb on the back of the door they had just come through.

"Wha-"

Ashelin cut Tess off with a glare. She put a finger to her lips, then pointed to one of the boxes at her hip. Tess nodded. Pressing her hands against the wall, Ashelin ascended slowly, straining her ears. She set a bomb on the door above their target floor.

"When backup tries to get through this stairway," whispered Ashelin, "well, they won't." She squatted at the door with the faintest of silver lines disappearing through the top. "You go out onto this level. Follow the smell to the room where the thread ends. Put this," she pushed a box into Tess's hands, "on that door. Back up. Electronic bomb. Door will open, no dust, no mess. Find the Bullet X."

"Will the alarm go off?" Tess turned the bomb in her fingers.

"Yes. As Rayn's people come through, I'll take care of them. When done, head for opposite stairwell." Ashelin patted her pistol. "Jak shot eco-based weaponry _before_ opening the door. We distinguish ourselves with forethought. Go."

"Eep."

Ashelin cracked the door open and Tess crept out. The hallway seemed long, much longer than any other had been. It was the same obnoxious color as the rest of Rayn's HQ, but it smelled different. This floor had more dark eco in it.

There were also ten guys standing outside the room Tess presumed she was to enter. She flattened herself against the wall, wide-eyed.

"What the hell is that?"

"I dunno. Shoot it!"

"Aaaaahh!" Tess screamed and ran down the hall, against all sense of self preservation, towards the men shooting haphazardly at her.

"Tess, stay down." The door behind her swung open just long enough for Ashelin to fire twice. Three guys fell.

"AAAAAHHH!" Tess zig zagged down the hallway. A hailstorm of shots – metal and eco – riddled the floor with holes. Shrapnel glanced off her hazmat clothing. A huge burst of fear and excitement powered her legs. She jumped, pushed herself off the wall, and jumped again.

"What the hell is that thing?!"

Door creak, pistol shots. Tess climbed up the body of a man as he fell, scrabbling for his stained and threadbare clothing. She jumped on the shoulders of his companions until she was close enough to slap the bomb on the door. She launched herself in every direction, avoiding fists and gun barrels.

_Pow pow pow_ the men were down. Tess hyperventilated, glancing all around. She had just enough time to realize she was still alive when an electric sizzle popped the door open. An alarm went off, screeching against her eardrums. She winced.

More men poured in from the opposite stairwell. Red strobe lights flashed, turning the hallway a sinister clash of burgundy and blood.

"Get in there!" screamed Ashelin.

"Ahh, ahh!" Tess was too scared for words, moving too fast to think. She dove into the room and whipped her head around. _Bullet X Bullet X Bullet X!_

Two explosions rocked the place. Tess tumbled as the floor shook. Ashelin swore. More pistol shots.

Tess forced herself to focus. She squinted into the flashing red alert lights. A huge metal tank stood along one wall, smelling of dark eco. There was a table with a generator on it, humming quietly. A line ran from the generator to the wall; a hose ran to the tank.

"Bullet X?" she squeaked. Tess wrung her hands. "Where are you?"

She glanced around the room. There was nothing else in there. She hopped onto the table.

The generator was modified with a dark eco intake. Eco was being pumped into the machine. Tess picked up the hose. It shuddered under her fingers and she dropped it. "Ugh!" Moving dark eco creeped her out more than anything. It even smelled like it was expectant, waiting for her to fall in…

"Tess! Tess!"

Ashelin's unhappy voice was buried in a cacophony of gunshots.

"Argh!" Tess grit her teeth. "Where are you! You have to be somewhere!"

The generator ceased humming. Its diodes dimmed. Tess's fur stood on end. "It's… going backwards!" She could feel the electricity circulating inside of it, around the dark eco, and out again.

The opposite of what it had been doing when she entered.

"This is seriously freaking me out!" Tess kicked the generator. It glinted evilly in the strobe lighting. "Stop that!"

It didn't stop, but Tess noticed that the top of it was much shinier than the bottom. She studied it for a few seconds. It was newer, a piece that had been added to the main body.

It had a handle.

"Gotcha!" Tess jumped up and wrenched it. It came easily, a metal box with a circular base and a squared off top. "Wahoo!" Dark eco bubbled up and out of the generator. It glistened. Tess turned and ran for the door.

"Where are- oof!" She banged right into Ashelin, who wasted no time scooping her up and heading for the opposite hallway.

"Good work!" shouted Ashelin over the alarms. She aimed and shot. More guys fell. Ashelin kicked the door open and flew down the stairs. "Got to get to the lobby!"  


* * *


	10. Collect Her

* * *

**Thank you everyone who has read and reviewed! Enjoy the last chapter.**

**

* * *

**

The lobby was peaceful, after Ashelin shot the alarm boxes in the corners. It was also empty. The stairway leading to it from the main building was not. Ashelin had carved her way out of the flesh blockade with bullets.

Now, she paused for a moment to catch her breath. Tess slid down her arms and into a heap on the floor.

"I can't believe I survived that." Images of shots and jumping from head to head and dark eco all flickered through her mind.

"Yeah, well, now's the fun part." Ashelin took a deep breath and pushed her hair back. "Rayn keeps all her money in her walls."

Tess looked at Ashelin with furrowed brows. Ashelin pulled a camera-relay from her belt, flicked it on, and held it up. "Hel_lo_ Rayn," she said, a false smile creeping across her face.

"Ashelin?!"

Rayn, Razer, and an assortment of gangster leaders were sitting at a wood table, shock slackening their faces. Henchmen hovered behind them, uncertainly reaching for weapons. Given the image quality – Ashelin could see the hideous wallpaper, curling greens and pinks, this must be Razer's place - she imagined her face was quite large, probably being projected from an entire wall. In the shadows at the back of the room, Ashelin faintly made out a dark figure, puffing on a cigar.

"I am relaying to you from your own headquarters. It was quite a tough mission to get here! But this." She held the metal box up to the camera. "Is my prize."

"How did you…." Rayn stood, her mouth open in disbelief. She shook her finger at the wall. "Get out of there!"

"How did you get a signal to this room?" Razer jumped out of his seat. He looked behind him. "This was supposed to be a secure line!"

Rayn pointed. "You, get to zone three at once. Lock down the whole place!"

"That won't be necessary. I love feeling at home in someone else's nest." Ashelin smiled as henchmen and mafia dons alike roared around the room and screamed at one another. "Do you know what I hate more than liars?"

"Send UR-86 to the Bullet X room!" shouted Rayn.

"_Traitors_. You _used_ us, Rayn. You poisoned us, made us your puppets in that atrocious game. You won all of Kras City on our sweat and blood! But that wasn't enough, was it? When the races came to Haven, you stole government secrets! How long were you going to sit around in your filthy little hole here before you started using _our_ prize money against us?" She waved the box in front of the camera. "This is _not yours_ and I am taking it back!"

Rayn was barely audible over the chaos around her. "That is my father's technology!"

Ashelin smirked. "No, that's _my_ father's technology. And it's not all I'm taking." She pushed a button on a gadget on her belt. A little schematic of Rayn's HQ came up on the crime lord's wall. It showed a line of threads winding from the main entrance to the Bullet X room.

Rayn put her hands to her cheeks. "No!"

"Oh, I see that you know what these are." Ashelin grinned. "Thread bombs, designed to take out everything but the infrastructure. Power conduits, eco lines, and, of course, computerized data. Plus backups." She pushed another button and a green chart appeared on screen. It was labeled _**Assets**__._ "Very difficult to replace all those wins without your old racing friends, huh?"

Rayn paled.

"And I'd hate to think what all your associates will do to you when you're suddenly out of money. And power." Ashelin pulled the camera close to her face. It loomed huge on the wall. "_Do not_ _mess with me again, Rayn_."

The thread bombs exploded on the screen, little comical "bang!"s flashing every time one went off. As they fizzled out, the HQ's shading in that area turned black. Rayn's _**Assets**_ plummeted to zero.

There was a second of silence, then Rayn and Razer screamed at each other, red-faced. People raced out of the room.

Ashelin clicked the camera off and replaced it at her belt. The thread bomb explosions were coming closer now. The floor shook under her boots. The lights dimmed. "C'mon, Tess," she said, hefting the Bullet X onto her shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

They strode out the front door, past a steaming vehicle pile up, and towards the docks.

* * *

"That was just _amazing!_ The look on her face was priceless!"

Ashelin rolled her eyes as Tess recounted their adventure. They strolled along the docks, avoiding puddles. The faint light of dawn poked through receding storm clouds. Ashelin shook her head and wiped rain from her cap.

Tess pointed her fingers like little guns. "And then when it exploded you were like, 'pew, pew!' I can't believe- oh."

"Hmm?" Ashelin looked up, and saw what had cut Tess off.

Keira stood in the middle of the freighter, soaking wet, grinning madly. Her fingers were covered in oily rings, her pockets bulged, and two oven mitts were jammed into her shirt in a very suggestive way. Actually, all of her clothes had a lumpy look. She even had coils wrapped around her ears. The haz-mat cloak was on the floor, tied loosely around a heap of vehicle parts and more tools than they could count.

"Oh my god, Keira," said Ashelin. She yanked her cap off and tossed it to the floor. "What, you couldn't fit the engine in your underpants?"

Keira shrugged. "I had fun! And, boy, is Rayn going to be mad." Ashelin snorted. She put the Bullet X in a wall compartment. Keira wiggled her shoulders so the tools under her suspenders moved. "Look, I've got wings!"

"You look like a sculpture, or something," giggled Tess. She brushed her fingers through her fur.

"Great job, ladies." said Ashelin, sitting at the helm. She started the freighter and blasted the heat. "Rayn's going to be nursing those wounds for a long time." She stomped on the accelerator and they rose into the sky.

* * *

**Fun fact! All the chapter titles (except 2) were taken from titles of episodes of the Powerpuff Girls. Why? If the answer isn't obvious from this fic, read it again!**


End file.
